Browse Items · Jewish Women's Wills : A Collaborative Premodern Collection

Allegrezze, widow of David di Marini: Rome, 1612

Allegrezze dictated her will to Simone de Castelnuovo, a Jewish rabbi/notary, who recorded the will in Italian.

PARTIAL TRANSCRIPTION:

... per provedere ale cose e ocasione come conviene fare ali personi da bene e tementi de Dio et spressio…

Tags: widow

Anastasu, widow of Solomon Astru: Crete, 1426

Tags: image, widow

Annella, widow of the late Yahudah, called Picciotto: Rome, 1557

The widow Annella leaves money for her three children, two sons and a daughter. The daughter is already married, but the moneys are meant to fund her dowry, and are to be given to the daughter's husband. Her younger son is still a minor. Other money…

Tags: charity, confraternity, dowry, widow

Archondisa, widow of Helia Catellanus: Crete, 1358

Archondisa, a widow, names as her executor her "beloved brother" Sambatheus (Shabbetai in Hebrew). She leaves to her brother-executor a home in the Jewish quarter of Candia (currently where a man named Samargias Cumani lives). Three years after…

Tags: conditions, real estate, widow

Blanca, widow of Bernat Falcó: Girona, 1437

TRANSCRIPTION from PLANAS MARCE blanca widow of bernat ferrer girona.pdf

Blanca was a conversa who had perhaps been baptized in the aftermath of the Disputation of Tortosa (1413-1414). She and her husband had been married as Jews, and then converted, as evinced in the husband's will. (See Planas Marcé, 656 for more on…

Tags: burial, conversa, transcription, widow

Duenya, daughter of Jeuda Falaquera, widow of Abraham Alfaç: Zaragoza, 1467

Duenya came from a well-known Navarrese Jewish family. She and her husband had three sons, and lived in Pamplona. She lived there until, widowed, she moved to Zaragoza to live with one of her sons. Two of the three sons converted to Christianity, but…

Tags: convert children, material culture, widow

Estelina, widow of Isaac de Piera: Girona, 1470

TRANSLATION INTO SPANISH of Estelina GIRONA.pdf

Estelina, a Jewish widow, testates in 1470, before a Catalan notary, who records the will in Latin. She identifies herself as twice a widow, first the widow of Salomon Salon from Perpignan, and then Isaac de Piera of Girona. She has two children: a…

Tags: burial, conversa, Spanish translation, translation, war, widow

Fermosa, the widow of Juce Axevili: Zaragoza, 1418

Living life in Zaragoza, Fermosa and her husband had two children, a daughter named Astruga who predeceased her, and a son named Acach who converted to Christianity and became known as Juan de Embun. Astruga left a daughter, Merian. Merian would be…

Tags: charity, conditions, convert children, transcription, widow

Fiore, widow of Solomon di Cori: Rome, 1557

The dying widow Fiore leaves her meager possessions to the girl who cared for her, and whose father's house Fiore is currently in. The will is recorded by a Jewish notary, either Leone (father) or Isach (son) Piattelli, in Hebrew.

DETAILED…

Tags: bed, clothing, material culture, widow

Herini, widow of Sambathus Chasuri: Crete, 1348

Herini names her brothers, who live in the town of Chania, as her executors. She leaves her goods to her minor son, Sambathus (sharing her late husband's name). If he were to die while a minor, her sister Eudochia would become her heir. If Eudochia…

Tags: widow

Isabel Lopez, widow of Enrique Mendez: Pontevedra, 1608

Isabel López was a native of Padrendo on the border between Galicia and Portugal. Around 1585, she married Enrique Méndez, a university graduate and lawyer who was a native of Monção, Kingdom of Portugal. Both were New Christians and both were…

Tags: conversa, image, New Christian, widow

Jamila, widow of Jento Arrueti: Zaragoza, 1415

Jamila had married the cobbler Jento Arrueti, and together they had two daughters. One, Orosol, remained Jewish. One, Violante, abandoned her husband and was baptized Christian. Her three children (Jamila's grandchildren) did not become Christian.…

Tags: conditions, confraternity, convert children, material culture, transcription, widow, Yom Kippur

Jamila, widow of Mosse Salerno: Zaragoza, 1401

Jamila and her late husband had four sons. Three of them remained Jewish (Juce, Acach, and Azmel), while one (Solomon-cum-Salvador) chose baptism and became Christian. In her will, Jamila left all four sons the amount stipulated for all legitimate…

Tags: convert children, transcription, widow, witness

Lachayna, widow of Sabet Cuyno: Trapani, 1464

Lachayna came from a wealthy family with business interests across the Mediterranean.

As was common in Sicilian wills in this period, Lachayna first declares that she wants to be buried in the Jewish cemetery of her city. She also left a measure…

Tags: burial, clothing, manumission, material culture, oil, redemption, slave, synagogue, widow

Martha Dinis, widow of Enrique Pereira: Pontevedra, 1603.

In 1582, in Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain, Martha Dinis married the licenciado and merchant Enrique Pereira. She was the daughter of the licenciado Paulo Núñez de Vitoria and his wife Isabel Thomas. All of these people were new Christians, natives of…

Tags: conversa, image, New Christian, transcription, widow

Palomba, widow of Servedio da Viterbo: Rome, 1607

This is not the original will of Palomba. Instead, Palomba here has the Jewish rabbi/notary Pompeo del Borgo annul a specific request in her previously written will. The original will left 25 scudi, the value of the cazacà of her room, to charity ("a…

Tags: codicil, widow

Palomba, widow of the late Samuele di Monte Pascolo(?): Rome, 1560

Palomba, testating while in the house of another widow, leaves her meager possessions to the confraternity known as the Compagnia di Ghemilut Hasadim, which, among other activities, cared for the ill, as it seems to have cared for Palomba. (See also…

Tags: bed, clothing, confraternity, material culture, widow, witness

Pasqua, widow of Isacco: Trieste, 1474

The widow Pasqua was a member of the Ashkenazic community of northern Italy. She was also a moneylender in the town of Trieste. Her will leaves a major part of her considerable wealth to her daughter Richa, though also gives bequests to her two sons,…

Tags: moneylender, widow

Perna, widow of the late Beniamino Cohen: Rome, 1577

Perna, identified as elderly ("zeqena"), bequeaths her dowry funds mostly to relatives. She leaves 3 scudi to one David di Hannania di Sabatello, for him to say the mourner's prayer (kaddish) for her, noting quite cheekily that he should only receive…

Tags: charity, confraternity, dowry, kaddish, widow, witness

Perna, widow of the late Rabbi Giuseppe ha-Rofeh di Cave: Rome, 1538

Perna testates before a Hebrew notary in Rome. Her will focuses on her lack of assets -- she claims to be destitute. She lives in the house of her nephew Gabriele, who took care of all her needs. She explains that she is testating to protect Gabriele…

Tags: family feud, poverty, widow

Browse Items (30 total)